Man receives five strokes of cane on his bare buttocks for stealing coffins

You look for what to steal, of all the good things of life, you didn’t see anything else to steal except to dig grave open, throw our the corpse and steal the coffin for sale? Digging graves and stealing coffins have earned a man from Botswana five years in jail and five strokes of the cane on his bare buttocks.

The man named Godisamang Thatanyane pleaded guilty to digging five graves, throwing corpses out of coffins and taking them for sale.

The Serowe Customary Court judge ordered that the man be jailed for his crimes having pleaded guilty for the offense.

He was said to ran out of luck when he was caught digging up a grave on the day of burial last week Saturday at grave yard somewhere in Mosu Span, a community in Botswana. When mourners left the grave yard Thatanyane, also known as ‘The Witch’ tiptoed in with a shovel and crowbar and started scooping out the soil from the grave.

He was alleged seen by some of the mourners who then alerted the public. Report has it that it wasn’t the first time this man has been arrested for similar offense but has never been prosecuted on the offense before. On the 17th of October 2014, he was arrested by the police over the same crime after a tip off.

The prosecutor, Constable Khumo Olebile told court that the police followed up on the tip off and arrested ‘The Witch’ at the graveyard. Upon investigation the police found there were five other graves that he had exhumed.

Asked about the details of his grisly trade, ‘The Witch’ said he digs out the coffin and throws back the corpse in the grave and sells the coffins.

In mitigation the grave digger asked to be allowed to pay some money in order to reduce his sentence.

“I’m not afraid of jail especially that now I know I was wrong, but two years is a long time,” he said.

After considering his mitigation and the fact that he was a first offender, Sekgoma said; “These deeds are in-human and raise people’s emotions especially the families. They are against human culture and customs. The accused need stringent punishment to deter him and send a message to others who may be thinking about the same thing.”

Before receiving his punishment, Thatanyane said wiping his forehead, “I can see I need prayer.” The people in court broke into laughter.